Sorter for table silverware



Sept. 16, 1958 F. STEINMETZ 2,852,135

SORTER FOR TABLE SILVERWARE Filed Sept. 21, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fl G. 3. l8

A 24 Unloading I Area Flak-up 0 Area Hold ing Area IN V EN TOR.

FLOYD STEINMETZ ATTORNEYS Sept. 16, 1958 F. STEINMETZ SORTER FOR TABLE SILVERWARE Filed Sept. 21, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FLOYD STEINM ETZ FIG. 5.

ATTORNEYS Sept. 16, 1958 FISTEINMETZ Q 2,852,135 v SORTER FOR TABLE SILVERWARE Filed Sept. 21, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 7.

w m w m FL O YD STEI NMETZ ATTORNEYS SORTER FUR TABLE SHINEEWARE Floyd Steinmetz, Penns Park, Pa., assignor to Met-Pro, l'nc., Lansdale, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 21, 1954, Serial No. 457,337

Claims. (Cl. 20989) This invention relates to a sorter for table silverware hereinafter referred to simply as silverware, and additionally relates to a sorter for silverware which can, if desired, act to wash, rinse and dry silverware being sorted.

Where, as, for example, in big restaurants, large quantities of silverware are used, the problem of sorting the silverware after it has been washed has not heretofore been satisfactorily solved.- Mechanism for the large scale washing of silverware has been developed to a high degree of perfection without the accompanying development of satisfactory sorting means. The sorting of silverware by hand is extremely time-consuming as well as being very costly.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide means for sorting silverware.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for simultaneously sorting, washing, rinsing and drying silverware.

These and other objects of this invention will be apparent on reading a description of the invention in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of the sorting and washing apparatus in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section of a plunger mechanism of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a lay-out in plan of the cam of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1 broken away to show a portion of the interior of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the rotating assembly of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a front perspective view of the rear cover plate showing the silverware receiving chutes;

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 a silverware sorting and Washing apparatus 2 has a supporting frame 4 on which are mounted a pair of front rollers 6, 6 and a pair of rear rollers 8, 8. Rollers 6, 6 and 8, 8 carry a rotating assembly 10.

Referring now particularly to Figure 6, rotating assembly 10 has a front ring 12 which engages rollers 6, 6, and a rear ring 14 which engages rollers 8, 8. A circular ront plate 16 is secured to ring 12, as for example, by welding, and a circular rear plate 18 is secured to ring 14, as for example, by welding. Tubular members 20 having rear portions 22, which are semicircular in crosssection and form receptacles for silverware, are fixedly secured at either end to plates 16 and 18, respectively, preferably by welding. The tubular members 20 are secured to plates 16 and 18 .in adjacent relationship to form a 360 arc with the concave sides of'portions 22 facing inwardly.

Mounted within each tubular member 20 is a plunger 24, which is biased rearwardly by a coil spring 26. A pin assatss Patented Sept. 16, 1258 28 fixedly secured to plunger 24 passes through a slot 30 in tubular member 20 and carries a roller 32. A washer 34 and a cotter pin 36 serve to retain roller 32 on pin 28 (see Figure 3).

Referring again to Figure 6, a ring 38 having cut-out portions 40 to conform to the shape of tubular members 20 is fixedly secured to tubular members 20 as, for example, by welding at the commencement of the semicircular portion 22. Ring 38 has secured thereto as, for example, by welding, a conical shaped member 42 (see Figure 5), which acts to receive the silverware and transfer it to the semicircular portions of tubular members 20.

Referring to Figure 7, rotating assembly 10 has a U-shaped chain guide 46, in which there are mounted pins 48 which are engaged by pins 49 on driving chain 50.

As best seen in Figure 2, chain 5!? engages sprocket 52, which in turn is driven by an electric motor-reduction gear unit shown at 54, so as to rotate the rotating assembly in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the front of the frame. The electric motor-reduction gear unit 54 is supported on frame 4.

As best seen in Figure 2, a cam 56 is fixedly secured to frame 4 about the periphery of rotating assembly 10. Springs 26 act to bias rollers 32 against cam 56 to control the position of plungers 24, as will hereinafter be described in greater detail.

A plurality of rollers 57 are mounted on the rear face of cam 56 and engage chain guide 46 in order to limit the motion of rotating assembly 10 towards the front of frame 4. The action of rollers 32 against cam 56 when the rollers are in the fully retracted position acts to limit the motion of rotating assembly 10 towards the rear of frame 4.

Referring to Figure 5, a cover plate 58 is secured to the rear of frame 4-. Associated with cover plate 58 are silverware receiving chutes 60, 62 and 64. Pins 66, 68 and 7% lie transversely across the middle of the upper portions of chutes 60, 62 and '64, respectively. Chutes 60, 62 and 64 run downwardly to the rear of cover plate 58 and discharge into a compartmented container '72 mounted near the bottom of frame 4.

Chute 62 has a drop-out opening 73 bordered by side flexible spring leaves 74 to guide the pieces of silverware directly over opening 73. A flexible leaf spring '75 acts to tip over any pieces of silverware which come through chute 62 on their sides. Below drop-out opening '73 is a chute 76 which discharges into a separate compartment in container 72.

A washing nozzle 8th is connected to a detergent supply line 82 and is directed towards the semicircular portions 22 of tubular members 2%. A rinsing nozzle 84 is connected to ahot water line 86 and is directed towards the semicircular portions 22 of tubular members 20 so as to deliver a rinsing spray at a point above the washing spray provided by nozzle 89. A drying nozzle 88 is connected to a hot air line @ti and is directed at a point above the spray provided by nozzle 84. A catch basin 92 is mounted on frame 4 below rotating assembly 10 and catches water overflowing from rotating assembly 10 through opening 94. Catch basin 92 is provided with a drain line 96.

In operation the rotating assembly 10 is continuously rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the front of frame With the rotating assembly 10 rotating, silverware is introduced into conical shaped member 42 and slides down on to semicircular portions 22 of tubular members-2t which are at that moment at the bottom of rotating assembly 10. The plungers 24 of these portions 22 are fully withdrawn against spring 26 through the action of cam 56 on rollers 32. As the rotating assembly 10 continues to rotate carrying any 3 particular semicircular portion 22 upwardly from the bottom, cam 56 permits spring 26 to force cylinder 24 rearwardly. The rearward movement of cylinder 24 continues until it engages the longest piece of silverware in its semicircular portion 22 and forces the unengaged end of this piece of silverware against plate 18. The thus engaged piece of silverware acts as a stop to the further movement of plunger 24 and in turn is firmly engaged between plunger 24 and plate 18. Continued rotation of rotating assembly causes the remaining pieces of silverware to drop out of the semicircular portion 22.

As will be seen from Figures 1 and 5, during this period, if desired, the piece of silverware can be subiected to a washing action by nozzle 80 and as the piece of silverware moves further upwardly by the rotation of rotating assembly 10, it can be subjected to a rinsing action by nozzle 84 and a drying action by nozzle 88.

When the roller associated with the cylinder engaging the piece of silverware being followed in this operation approaches the upper portion of cam 56, the cam curves towards the front of frame 4- and hence the cam and the roller come closer together. If the piece of silverware being held by the cylinder is short, it will be appreciated that the roller will be initially located closer to the cam and hence will be engaged by the cam sooner than if a longer piece of silverware were held, which would result in the roller being initially positioned further away from the cam. Cam 56 is contoured so that the early contact by roller 32 when its associated plunger 24 is holding a short piece of silverware will result in the camming of roller 32 and hence plunger 24 against the bias of spring 26 at a point so that the silverware being held will be released directly over chute 60, which is' designed to handle short lengths of silverware. When the silverware drops out, its mid-point will engage pin 66, which will upset the piece of silverware with the heavy end down into a substantially upright position, whereupon it will fall into chute 60 and travel down chute 60 to discharge into compartmented container 72.

If the piece of silverware being held was an intermediate length piece, for example, a tablespoon or a fork, roller 32 would not be engaged by cam 56 until the rotating assembly had rotated the piece of silverware directly over chute 62, whereupon the roller 32 would be cammed against spring 26 for the release of the piece of silverware into chute 62. The mid-point of the piece of silverware would then strike pin 68 and fall with its heavy end down in a substantially upright position into chute 62. When the piece of silverware reaches opening 73, it will drop through into chute 76 if it is relatively narrow as a fork or pass over the opening if it is relatively wide as a tablespoon, opening 73 having by way of example a width slightly wider than a fork and narrower than a tablespoon.

If the piece of silverware had been of still longer length, it would have been carried by the rotating assembly until it was over chute 64, whereupon roller 32 would have been engaged by cam 56, so as to cam cylinder 24 against spring 26 for the release of the piece of silverware into chute 64. Here, again, the mid-point of the piece of silverware would strike pin 70, which would cause it to drop heavy end down in a substantially upright position into chute 64 and travel down into compartmented container 72. V

The action of cam 56 on rollers 32 will be further clarified by a study of the development of cam 56 in Figure 4. As viewed in Figure 4 the roller 32 is being carried from left to right by the rotating assembly ill. The area indicated at A shows where the cam permits the spring 26 to carry the cylinder rearwardly to engage the silverware. The area indicated at B is the holding area where the cylinder holds the piece of silverware against the plate 18. The cam area indicated at C is what might be termed the unloading area, that is, the area where the cam forces the roller 32 forwardly against spring 26 to cause cylinder 24 to release the silverware it is holding at a position depending upon the length of the piece of silverware.

It is not desired to be limited except as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for sorting silverware comprising a hollow, rotatable assembly having a substantially horizontal axis, means to rotate said assembly, said rotatable assembly having a plurality of inwardly facing receptacles for silverware each having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, each of said receptacles having one end fixed in one plane of rotation and having its other end formed by a plunger having an axis sub stantially parallel to the axis of rotation, spring means biasing said plunger toward the fixed end to engage a piece of silverware, means to cam said plunger against said spring away from the fixed end to release a piece of silver held by the plunger, a plurality of spaced chutes having inlet openings within and below the upper inner periphery of said rotatable assembly and parallel to said receptacles and adapted to receive silver released from said receptacles, said cam means being so shaped that as said assembly is rotated, pieces of silverware of successively greater length will be released from said receptacles into successive chutes respectively according to their length.

2. Apparatus for sorting silverware comprising a hollow, rotatable assembly having a substantially horizontal axis, means to rotate said assembly, said rotatable assembly having a plurality of inwardly facing receptacles for silverware each having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, each of said receptacles having one end fixed in one plane of rotation and having its other end formed by a plunger having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, spring means biasing said plunger toward the fixed end to engage a piece of silverware, means to cam said plunger against said spring away from the'fixed end to release a piece of silver held by the plunger, a plurality of spaced chutes having inlet openings within and below the upper inner periphery of said rotatable assembly and parallel to said receptacles and adapted to receive silver released from said receptacles, said cam means being so shaped that as said assembly is rotated, pieces of silverware of successively greater length will be released from said receptacles into successive chutes respectively according to their length and means passing through an open end of said assembly to direct a washing fluid towards said receptacles to wash the silverware.

3. Apparatus for sorting silverware comprising a hollow, rotatable assembly having a substantially horizontal axis, means to rotate said assembly, said rotatable assembly having a plurality of inwardly facing receptacles for silverware each having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, each of said receptacles having one end fixed in one plane of rotation and having its other end formed by a plunger having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, spring means biasing said plunger toward the fixed end to engage a piece of silverware, means to cam said plunger against said spring away from the fixed end to release a piece of silver held by the plunger, a plurality of spaced chutes having inlet openings within and below the upper inner periphery of said rotatable assembly and parallel to said receptacles and adapted to receive silver released from said receptacles, said cam means being so shaped that as said assembly is rotated, pieces of silverware of successively greater length will be released from said receptacles into successive chutes respectively according to their length, means passing through an open end of said assembly to direct a washing fluid towards said receptacles to wash the silverware and means in said assembly adjacent said receptacles to dry silverware after it has been washed.

4. Apparatus for sorting silverware comprising a hollow, rotatable assembly having a substantially horizontal axis, means to rotate said assembly, said rotatable assembly having a plurality of inwardly facing receptacles for silverware each having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, each of said receptacles having one end fixed in one plane of rotation and having its other end formed by a plunger having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, spring means biasing said plunger toward the fixed end to engage a piece of silverware, means to cam said plunger against said spring away from the fixed end to release a piece of silver held by the plunger, a plurality of spaced chutes having inlet openings within and below the upper inner periphery of said rotatable assembly and parallel to said receptacles and adapted to receive silver released from said receptacles, said cam means being so shaped that as said assembly is rotated, pieces of silverware of successively greater length will be released from said receptacles into successive chutes respectively according to their length, one of said chutes having an opening through which silverware of less than a predetermined width will drop.

5. Apparatus for sorting silverware comprising a hollow, rotatable assembly having a substantially horizontal axis, means to rotate said assembly, said rotatable assembly having a plurality of inwardly facing receptacles for silverware each having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, each of said receptacles having one end fixed in one plane of rotation and having its other end formed by a plunger having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, spring means biasing said plunger toward the fixed end to engage a piece of silver ware, means to cam said plunger against said spring away from the fixed end to release a piece of silver held by the plunger, a plurality of spaced chutes having inlet openings within .and below the upper inner periphery of said rotatable assembly and parallel to said receptacles and adapted to receive silver released from said receptacles, said cam progressively releasing the shorter then the larger pieces of silverware into said chutes and .a transverse pin adjacent each of said inlet openings and adapted to engage the silverware at its midpoint to upset the silverware with its heavier end down.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 770,235 Lamb Sept. 13, 1904 1,082,632 Hastings Dec. 30, 1913 1,832,062 Thompson Nov. 17, 1931 1,927,405 Johnson Sept. 19, 1933 1,952,568 Schapp et al Mar. 27, 1934 2,046,394 Lindegaard July 7, 1936' 2,195,371 Moore Mar. 26, 1940 

